Manado Malay


Manado Malay, Manadonese, or simply the Manado language, is a creole language spoken in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province in Indonesia, and the surrounding area. The local name of the language is bahasa Manado, and the name Minahasa Malay is also used, after the main ethnic group speaking the language. Since Manado Malay is used primarily for spoken communication, there is no standard orthography.
Manado Malay differs from standard Malay in having numerous Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, and Ternate loan words, as well as having traits such as its use of kita as a first person singular pronoun, rather than as a first person inclusive plural pronoun. It is derived from North Moluccan Malay, which can be evidenced by the number of Ternate loanwords in its lexicon. For example, the pronouns ngana and ngoni are of Ternate–Tidore origin. Manado Malay has been displacing the indigenous languages of the area.

Phonology

Vowels

The vowel system of Manado Malay consists of five vowel phonemes.
FrontCentralBack
High
Mid
Low

Consonants

Manado Malay has nineteen consonants and two semivowels.
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasal
Plosive
Fricative
Lateral
Trill
Semivowel

Letter-to-sound correspondences

Consonants

Source:
LetterIPAExamplesWord meaning
bbudo' light-skinned
c'cokodidi hyperactive person — in the sense of "could not sit still"
d'dod'u' hiccup
ffalo-f'alo water dipper
v veto to rebuke
g'goro rubber, rubber band
h'haga to stare
j'jatung to fall down
k'karlota gossipy, gossip, or to gossip — a slang that emerged in the 1990s, thanks to Carlota, a gossipy servant in María la del Barrio.
l'li'u to trip on one foot only
m'mner mister, sir
n'nae to go up, to move up
p'parampuang female, feminine
r'rabu-r'abu quick in a hurried manner
ss'hal bowl, basin
t'tindis to press
w'wowo' mute person
y'yaki Celebes crested macaque — having the connotation of "stupid" or "dirty" if used in comparison with a person
z' 'zigzag zigzag
' ''nyanda'' no

Stress

Most words in Manado Malay have stress on the pre-final syllable:
However, there are also many words with final stress:
''Note that the accents is not used in everyday writing; just to indicate the stressed syllable.''

Grammar

Pronouns

Possessives

Possessives are built by adding pe to the personal pronoun or name or noun, then followed by the 'possessed' noun. Thus pe has the function similar to English "'s" as in "the doctor's uniform".
EnglishManado Malay
My friendkita pe tamáng / ta pe tamáng
Your friendngana pe tamáng / nga pe tamáng
His/her bookdia pe buku / de pe buku
This book is yours ini ngana pe buku

Interrogative words

The following are the interrogative words or "w-words" in Manado Malay:
EnglishManado Malay
whykyapa
where mana
whosapa
which onetu mana, yang mana

Grammatical aspect

Ada can be used in Manado Malay to indicate the perfective aspect, e.g.:
  • Dorang ada turung pigi ka Wenang = 'They already went down to Wenang '
  • Torang so makang = 'We ate already' or 'We have eaten already'

Nasal final

The final nasals and in Indonesian are replaced by the "-ng" group in Manado Malay, similar with Terengganu dialect of Malaysia, e.g.:
  • makang = 'to eat',
  • jalang = 'to walk',
  • sirang = 'to shower', etc.

Prefix

"ba-" prefix

The ber- prefix in Indonesian, which serves a function similar to the English -ing, is modified into ba- in Manado Malay. E.g.: bajalang, batobo, batolor

"ma(°)-" prefix

° = ng, n, or m depending on phonological context.
The me- prefix in standard Indonesian, which also serves a function to make a verb active, is modified into ma- in Manado Malay. E.g.: mangael, manari, mancari, mamasa, manangis.

Influences

Loanwords

Due to the historical presence of the Dutch and the Portuguese in eastern Indonesia, several Manado Malay words originate from their languages. However, there is little influence from the local Minahasan languages, and borrowings from Spanish are not very prominent either – in spite of the historical Spanish dominance – suggesting that Manado Malay was transplanted from outside the Minahasa region. On the other hand, Portuguese influence is comparatively significant, considering that the Portuguese presence in the area was relatively limited. There is also some influence of loanwords from another Austronesian language group called Gorontalo–Mongondow languages. There is also a layer of loanwords from the non-Austronesian language of Ternate, which was controlled by the Portuguese in the period 1512–1655.
Standard IndonesianManado Malay loanwordSource languageSource wordEnglish
topicapeoPortuguesechapéucap, hat
bosanfastiu, pastiuPortuguesefastiobored
untukfor, porDutchvoorfor
garpufork, forokDutchvorkfork
tenggorokangargantangPortuguesegargantathroat
kursikaderaPortuguesecadeirachair
benderabanderaPortuguesebandeiraflag
saputanganlensoPortugueselençohandkerchief
tapimarDutchmaarbut
jagungmiluPortuguesemilhocorn, maize
sudahklarDutchklaarfinished
pamanomDutchoomuncle
nenekomaDutchomagrandmother
kakekopaDutchopagrandfather
teduhsombarPortuguesesombrashade
keringatsuarPortuguesesuarsweat
bibitanteDutchtanteaunt
dahitestaPortuguesetestaforehead, temple
penyututuruga, tuturagaPortuguesetartarugaturtle
sepatuchapatu, sapatu, spatuPortuguesesapatoshoe
kebunkintálPortuguesequintal field or garden

Indonesian loanwords from Manado Malay

Several words in Manado Malay are loaned to standard Indonesian:
  • baku e.g.: baku hantam, baku ajar, Originally a loanword from Ternate, it has spread through Manado Malay into other regions of Indonesia.

Examples

Examples :
  • Kita or ta = I
  • Ngana or na = you
  • Torang or tong = we
  • Dorang or dong = they
  • Io = yes
  • Nyanda’, nda' = no
Sentences :
  • Kita/ta pe mama da pi ka pasar : My mother went to the market
  • Nyanda’/Nda’ makang Ngana dari kalamareng. : You haven't eaten since yesterday.
  • Jang badusta ngana pa kita! : Don't lie to me!
''Note that the apostrophe is not used in everyday writing; just to indicate the glottal stop.''

Works cited

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